Feeding the Nation – Our Role Today. Our Reputation Tomorrow
The Egg & Poultry Industry Conference 2026 brought together industry leaders, producers, policymakers and experts to explore one fundamental question: How can the UK egg and poultry industry strengthen its role in feeding the nation while protecting and building its reputation for the future?
Throughout the conference, a consistent message emerged: the industry has significant opportunities for growth, but realising them will require consumer understanding, strong standards, investment, innovation and greater collaboration across the supply chain.
Setting the Scene: The Challenges Facing British Farming
The conference began on Sunday evening with the traditional Carvery Dinner, where Tom Bradshaw, President of the National Farmers’ Union (NFU), addressed the challenges facing British farming businesses. His contribution highlighted the pressures on producers and the importance of ensuring that British agriculture remains competitive, resilient and financially sustainable.
We were also pleased to welcome Stephen Morgan MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at Defra, who joined us for Sunday’s dinner and addressed delegates during Monday’s conference. His participation provided a valuable opportunity for direct engagement between government and industry, demonstrating a welcome willingness to listen to producers, understand the challenges they face and strengthen dialogue on the future of British egg and poultry production.
A Strong Industry with a Clear Responsibility
Opening Monday’s conference, EPIC Committee Chairman Jerry Glover set the tone for the day by challenging the industry to take greater ownership of its reputation and communicate its achievements with confidence and pride.
Highlighting the industry’s vital contribution to feeding the nation, supporting employment and providing affordable, nutritious protein, he emphasised that producing high-quality food is only part of the responsibility. Equally important is ensuring that consumers understand and appreciate the value of British egg and poultry production.
His message was clear: “If we don’t tell our story, somebody else will tell it for us.” He encouraged delegates to share positive stories about the industry, build new relationships and take a more proactive role in shaping public understanding and trust.
Chaired by Aimee Mahony, the conference programme continued with perspectives from the British Egg Industry Council and the British Poultry Council.
Nick Allen, Chief Executive of the British Egg Industry Council, highlighted the strength of consumer demand for British eggs and the importance of building on the success of the British Lion assurance scheme. His presentation emphasised the role of trusted standards in protecting food safety, animal welfare, quality and consumer confidence.
Richard Griffiths, Chief Executive of the British Poultry Council, challenged the industry to consider what it could achieve through a shared vision. His presentation explored food security, resilience, the Poultry Sector Growth Plan and the conditions needed to support future production, including planning and access to essential resources.
Together, these contributions reinforced that the industry’s value extends beyond food production to employment, investment, innovation and national food security.
Understanding the Changing Consumer
Consumer behaviour and evolving dietary preferences featured prominently throughout the programme.
Julia Buech of Rabobank explored the implications of GLP-1 weight-loss medications, ageing populations and changing eating habits. Her presentation, Every Bite Counts, highlighted a potential shift from food volume towards nutritional value, protein quality, convenience and portion suitability.
Fabio Brancher of Pilgrim’s Europe demonstrated the strength of poultry demand and the opportunities presented by consumers’ growing interest in affordable, nutritious protein. His presentation also emphasised that meeting future demand must go hand in hand with maintaining consumer trust.
These presentations highlighted an important opportunity for the egg and poultry sectors: to position their products not simply as affordable protein sources, but as essential components of changing consumer diets.
Looking Beyond Our Borders
John Alistair Clarke examined the future of European and international agricultural trade, considering the implications of geopolitical tensions, changing trade policies, Common Agricultural Policy reform and regulatory developments.
His presentation provided an important reminder that the future competitiveness of British agriculture will be influenced not only by domestic decisions but also by developments across European and global markets.
Investing in the Next Generation
The afternoon’s Derek Kelly Future Leaders Discussion, moderated by Chloe Ryan, brought a different perspective to the conference.
Ryan Dakin, Will Oliver and Emilia Cojocaru shared their career journeys and experiences across egg production, broiler farming and hatchery management.
The discussion highlighted the importance of attracting new talent, providing opportunities for professional development and ensuring that the next generation has a meaningful voice in shaping the industry’s future.
From Insight to Action: Brands, Reputation and Leadership
The closing session brought together Barney Kay and Paul Kelly, shifting the conversation towards consumer relationships, practical leadership and business decisions.
Barney Kay’s presentation, Consumer Led Change at Scale, brought the discussion back to the importance of understanding consumer expectations and translating those insights into business decisions across the food supply chain.
Paul Kelly challenged conventional thinking about change, differentiation and value creation. Drawing on his experience with KellyBronze, he emphasised the importance of maintaining strong business principles, understanding customers and being proud to demonstrate how food is produced.
Together, the presentations reinforced that reputation cannot be built through communication alone. It must be supported by consistent standards, credible business practices and products that deliver genuine value.
The Message from EPIC 2026
Across the two days, six priorities stood out:
- Strengthen government–industry dialogue to ensure that the challenges facing British farming businesses are understood and reflected in future policy decisions.
- Protect consumer trust through transparency, strong standards and credible assurance.
- Respond to changing demand by recognising the growing importance of nutrition, value and convenience.
- Strengthen industry resilience through investment, collaboration and supportive conditions for production.
- Develop future leaders by attracting, supporting and retaining talented people.
- Take ownership of our reputation by communicating confidently, demonstrating the value of British egg and poultry production and being proud of our role in Feeding the Nation.
EPIC 2026 demonstrated that the industry’s future is not simply about producing more. It is about producing responsibly, understanding the people we feed, maintaining constructive dialogue with government and ensuring that the value of our contribution is recognised.
Feeding the nation is what we do. Building trust, developing our people and protecting our reputation will determine how successfully we continue to do it.
On behalf of the EPIC Organising Committee, sincere thanks go to all speakers, sponsors, delegates and everyone who contributed to making EPIC 2026 a success.